Hishamuddin Rais in Tokyo: Sushi News 1, 2 & 3!

ricecooker note: With the Ramadan upon us, Bau-Bau Cafe closed for renovation, leaving The Ricecooker Shop feeling very lonely on the verandah. I’ve been there a few times when I’m free enough to go and it’s really dead. Hopefully, Things will be back to normal once Raya fever dies down.

BTW; am very sorry to all sebab lama tak update this site. Been very busy carimakan.

OK. Maybe some of you know that our intrepid reporter The Handsome Rais has gone into a phone booth in Brickfields, changed into SuperBelacanMan by stripping down to his non-existent underwear and flew off to Tokyo last weekend.

and now he’s reporting from his condo in one of the skyscrapers overlooking the chaos.

autumn is here – a bit chilly – my window is opened to get the smoke out – they gave me the RIGHT smoking room – i lived in in room 327 – very japanese – all in – the net is great – very fast –

last nite i went to makan Jap restaurant near my place – lousy – then beli sushi from supermaket – BETTER – breakfast included with the room – european – coffee good – lupa bawak kopi Muar – today publik holiday – beginning of autuman – lucky i brought all that baju – i need it –

met almost all the participants – NOT sure of them – not cool enough for me – THEY did not even know Johnny Rotten – fuck – i thought i was in a wrong crowd – one guy from China, one lady from Hong Kong, one lady from Thailand, one lady from Bombay – i have NOT met the Jap – he went home over the weekend –

this place is high end of tokyo – big garden – chic street – not the place i stayed in 1974 –

i just sent an article for Oriental Daily – have all the time here – almost three – i will go to the shop to get some sushi – i m going to eat sushi until i got fade up of it – kat supermarket murah.

WOW – a bit stupid – the towel, shampoo, body lotion etc… all ada –

i need to contact some Malaysian students – so that i could start to venture out and do my research on JAPANESE YOUTH CULTURE –

TV – Japanese tv – plasma – but all in fucking japanese – 45 fucking channel right next to my computer. what the fuck it was all about – i bought a bottle of gin and martini – they are my loyal friends as for now –

i should be here until NOVEMBER – but the weather is getting colder –

saw some really chic Japanese girl on a bike yesterday – haven’t seen jambus yet – but the BIGGEST is language –

YESTERDAY – i presented my PAPER / Malaysian Youth and Social Resistance – the coolest paper; talking about underground scene, punk rockers, graffiti artist, food not bombs, body piercing and body painting – shit – the participants have no clues of such scene – they saw it BUT they failed to understand that this is the new force for social change –

My research is on Japanese YOUTH – but language is fucking problem laaaa…. now i am hunting for some Malaysian students who could help me with the translation –

Two nites ago – went to SHUNJUKU – kira-kira Bukit Bintang laaa. this is where the the fucking ISETAN started – fucking big mother fucking crap deparmental store – just passed through it – NO INTREST whatsoever to enter it – kill me if u want BUT i will NOT be there – like HARRODS – fot 20 years in London – i just went in only ONCE.

we were brought to visit NGOs – on gay and lesbian – like PINK TRIANGLE – cool place – then went to a miserable transexual bar – which i found BORING a million time – transexual bar where some fucking filipinos working – shit – drink only tea – cost 5,000 yen – just devide that by 30 – two of the participants are into GENDER/SEXUAL study – LUCKY LUCKU LUCKY – they bar was smoky = so they pulled out – after a boring 40 minutes – some of the Japs stayed.

FOOD: hahahahh… load of sushis.. .many resturant here BUT language is the main problems – i have enough money to venture there but what to order?

LAST NITE: stumbled into THE REAL TAMPOPO – well i’m NOT telling it here – i am writing it for The Edge – so buy the next month OFF THE EDGE you will read it – i m going to be there a couple more time.

THE NET: best in the world – tak perlu render – just like tv – well kalau system ni ada di Malaysia goodbye RTM, goodbye ASTRO, good Bye TV3. i could watch anything from google video – i think STREAMYX Malaysia will never upgrade thier system because this will KILL United Malay National Organisations propaganda – DEATH TO LOCAL TV STATION!!!

hello there.

this is a zine, an archive, a blog, a calendar, a place where words, entities, pixs and happenings came to be chronicled, appraised, documented and consigned to history. gloriously. it's also a shop. was. but that may be an "is" yet again. meanwhile Joe is on his travels; updates may be irregular and minimal. enjoy your stay. terima kasih.